City of El Paso, Illinois Comprehensive Plan
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EL PASO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 CITY OF EL PASO, ILLINOIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Mayor Herb Arbuckle City Council Ward 1 Dick Jones Tim Porth Ward 2 Matt Duffy Scott Crump Ward 3 Katie Lowery Randy Garrels Comprehensive Planning Committee David Brown Jay Etcheson Dennis Grube Lisa Heller Dick Jones Katie Lowery Tammy Mool Bobbie Talbert Mabel Volz Prepared By: Tri-County Regional Planning Commission 411 Hamilton Blvd, Suite 2001 Peoria, IL 61602 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents . i I. INTRODUCTION . 1 A. Background . 1 B. Location . 1 C. Purpose of a Comprehensive Plan . 2 II. INVENTORY OF EXISTING CONDITIONS . 5 A. Land Use. 5 B. Population. 7 C. Housing. 11 D. Community Facilities . 17 E. Transportation . 19 F. Economic Development . 25 G. Cultural Facilities . 28 H. Natural Resources . 30 III. TWENTY-YEAR VISION FOR EL PASO . 32 IV. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. 33 A. Land Use. 34 B. Population/Housing. 36 C. Community Facilities . 37 D. Transportation and Circulation. 38 E. Economic Development . 39 F. Cultural Facilities . 40 G. Natural Resources. 40 SURVEY RESULTS . Appendix Page i COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 I. INTRODUCTION A. BACKGROUND The City of El Paso is a small community that has remained relatively unchanged for many years. However, the community understands that change is inevitable and that successful communities need a plan to manage change. There are several factors that will impact the future of El Paso. One is the current trend for individuals and families to live in small towns and bedroom communities while commuting to work in larger cities such as Bloomington/Normal. Another factor is the potential for further development at the interchange of Interstate 39 with Route 24 at the west edge of the community. The pressure for the growth of El Paso will come from outside the community. It is unlikely that the population will increase significantly due to additional employment opportunities within the city. To prepare for the future, the City of El Paso has prepared this Comprehensive Plan for the community and the mile-and-a-half area surrounding the town. The background, development, and features of the Plan are described in this document. B. LOCATION El Paso is located in central Illinois approximately thirteen miles north of the twin cities of Bloomington/Normal. It is 35 miles east of Peoria, Illinois. The closest major city is Chicago, which is 125 miles north of the community. El Paso is in Woodford County and is part of the Peoria/Pekin Metropolitan Area, commonly known as the Tri-County area. Although El Paso is in the Tri-County area, the metropolitan area of Bloomington/Normal will most likely have a greater impact on its future. See Map I-B-1 on the following page. Page 1 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 Map I-B-1 Location EL PASO, ILLINOIS C. PURPOSE OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Comprehensive Planning is a process by which a community guides its future development. Growth can be encouraged to take place where the necessary services can be reasonably provided. Conflicts between uses can be minimized. Financial and other resources can be more effectively used. The Comprehensive Plan is a guide. It is not an ordinance, although changes to the City’s Zoning or Subdivision Ordinances may be a result of the Plan. This Comprehensive Plan looks twenty years into the future. However, the Plan is not a static document and should be reviewed and updated every three to five years. With a Comprehensive Plan, a community can choose and design its own future. The future will come, and local officials will make decisions about it whether or not they have a plan. Only through planning, however, can a community make rational choices for a sustainable future. Page 2 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 Table I-C-1 shows the elements of a Comprehensive Plan and the question each element addresses. Table I-C-1 Comprehensive Planning Process Element of Comprehensive Plan Question Inventory of Existing Conditions Where are we now? The Vision What do we want to look like in 20 years? Goals and Objectives How do we get there? One of the features of a Comprehensive Plan is the inclusion of all land subject to the planning jurisdiction of a community. In Illinois, that area has been defined as all land within a mile-and-a-half of the corporate limits. Illinois law gives communities with a Comprehensive Plan specific regulatory controls within that area. This allows the community to make land use decisions outside their corporate boundaries. This plan for El Paso will address the community as it exists today and the mile-and-a-half planning area that surrounds it. See Map I-C-2 on the following page. Page 3 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 Map I-C-2 Page 4 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 II. INVENTORY OF EXISTING CONDITIONS A. LAND USE Land Use is a term that is used to describe man-made uses of land. Typical land uses are residential, commercial, and industrial. Other land uses are schools, parks, churches, and public uses such as City Hall. The City of El Paso has a traditional mixture of residential, commercial, and industrial uses. The mile-and-a-half area is predominantly agricultural. As with most communities, the predominant land use in El Paso is residential. Within the residential areas can be found land uses that support the neighborhoods, such as schools, parks, libraries, public buildings such as governmental buildings and churches. El Paso is fortunate to have an active park system. In addition to South Pointe Park, which is over forty acres in size, there are numerous smaller parks such as Corn Belt Park. El Paso also has a bicycle/walking trail that runs in a north/south direction through the entire community. An elementary school, a middle school, and a high school are located in the city. A public library is centrally located on East First Street. Local businesses support the residents of a community with everyday goods and services. There are two business districts in El Paso, the traditional downtown business district and the highway-oriented business district along Route 24 on the west side of the town. An important land use in any community is that used for industry. It is the industries that provide employment for the residents of a community. In El Paso, industries are located primarily along Route 24 which runs east-west through the community. Map II-A-1 on the following page is a graphic representation of the current land uses in El Paso Page 5 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 Map II-A-1 (revised) Page 6 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 B. POPULATION Population Trends El Paso was incorporated in 1854. Since that time, the population has grown at a slow but steady rate. The first census for the community, in 1860, showed a population of 890 residents. One hundred and forty years later, in 2000, the population was 2,695. Figure II-B-1 Population Trends and Projections El Paso, Illinois 4000 n 3000 2000 Populatio 1000 0 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 Year (Actual in green; projections in brown) Source: Actual - U.S. Bureau of the Census Projections – Illinois State Census and Data User Services The population of a community often reflects the population growth or decline of the region in which it is located. Therefore, a look at population trends in the county and the region is in order. Figure II-B-2 on the following page compares the population growth of El Paso to the population growth of Woodford and McLean Counties over the last forty years. The population of Woodford County has slowly and steadily increased since 1960. Most of this population growth has been on the southwestern side of the county, however, as residents of Peoria move to bedroom communities within commuting distance from Peoria. McLean County has seen tremendous growth in the last forty years. The population of McLean County has almost doubled since 1960. Much of this growth is due to the increase in white-collar employment opportunities in the Bloomington/Normal area. During these years of moderate growth in Woodford County and substantial growth in McLean County, the population of El Paso has remained stable. However, as population growth moves outward from Bloomington/Normal, El Paso may see population growth. The question we must ask ourselves is “Will this population growth come to El Paso, and if so, when?” Page 7 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 Figure II-B-2 Regional Population Trends 160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 Population 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Year El Pas o Woodford County McClean County Population Projections The purpose of a Comprehensive Plan is to plan for the future of a community, and to plan we must have an understanding of the growth that is to be expected. Figure II-B-1, in addition to showing the actual population of El Paso over the last 140 years, also indicates potential population growth in the next twenty-five years. Based on projections developed by the Illinois State Census and Data User Services, the population in 2025 is projected to be 3600 persons, an increase of approximately 900 persons, or 34%. Since the 2000 Census was completed, approximately fifty new homes have been built in El Paso. This rate of growth is slightly lower than that predicted in Figure II-B-1. Page 8 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2006 Income One of the factors that describes a community is income. Half of the households in El Paso (50.2%) have incomes ranging from $35,000 to $75,000 a year.